TINCKNELL COMMENCES AMERICAN ADVENTURE AT DAYTONA 24 HOURS
Harry makes his Mazda Team Joest debut in the Rolex 24 Hours at Daytona International Speedway this weekend after a winter busy testing schedule with the team in the USA.
Devon’s Harry Tincknell will kick off his 2018 season at the prestigious Rolex 24 Hours this Saturday for the Mazda Team Joest outfit. The twice around the clock classic is the most prestigious race in the IMSA WeatherTech calendar and Tincknell is fired up to start the season on a high at the Florida circuit. The 26 year old will drive the #55 Mazda RT24-P alongside former Daytona 24 Hour winner Jonathan Bomarito and 2015 Indy Lights Champion Spencer Pigot. Bomarito will partner Tincknell for the full season, with Pigot joining the duo for the long distance races at Daytona, Sebring, Watkins Glen and Petit Le Mans. It has been a busy winter testing period for the team, who will also enter the sister #77 car driven by Oliver Jarvis, Tristan Nunez and Rene Rast. 20 cars are entered in total in the Prototype class, the fastest category in American endurance racing which will allow Tincknell and his team mates to challenge for outright victories. They will be competing against household names including Fernando Alonso and Juan Pablo Montoya, so competition will be fierce when racing commences at 2.40pm local time. The Mazda RT24-P underwent significant upgrades during the second half of last season including updates to the aerodynamics, cooling, suspension and drivetrain. The Daytona 24 Hours will mark the heavily revised car’s first race along with the start of a new partnership with Team Joest, famous for their 15 overall victories at the Le Mans 24 Hours.
Harry Tincknell (GB):
“I am super excited to get the 2018 season underway this weekend at Daytona. Mazda Team Joest have put so much work in over the winter period and I can’t believe how quickly we moved from winter testing to the first race of the season. The revised car is definitely a big improvement from 2017 and we are still learning and refining all the time. It will certainly be tough starting out with a 24 hour race, but I am confident we have taken giant strides forward over the last three months". “To be able to fight for the overall win is incredible and I can’t wait for this journey to begin on Saturday. Daytona is all about surviving the first 20 hours and then attacking at the end, so if we are in contention when the sun rises over Florida on Sunday morning then we know we are in the fight. We certainly face some very tough competition and guys like Fernando Alonso will be no pushover. Whatever happens this weekend, I am certain that we have a strong base to fight for many victories and podiums this season”.
Tincknell finished 5th on his sole previous start at Daytona in 2017 for Ford Chip Ganassi Racing in the GTLM Class. The race begins at 7.40pm GMT, with uninterupted live coverage streamed online at imsa.tv.
